Trust expects update on new Omagh mental health unit by March

THE Western Trust is set to provide an updated business case for a new Acute Mental Health Unit at the Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

Officials from the Trust are working with the Department for Health to advance the new unit.

However, the Trust has highlighted concerns about the ‘disparate and isolated nature’ of many mental health facilities across the Omagh site, noting that the inpatient provisions do not meet current environmental standards.

An update on the project was presented to Fermanagh and Omagh District Councillors at a health committee meeting last week.

The Trust revealed that demand for Acute Mental Health Inpatient beds has significantly increased, with the service operating at around 120 per-cent of its commissioned capacity since 2022.

The Trust is exploring how to accommodate service developments, such as Community Perinatal Mental Health Services, and manage mental health rehabilitation for individuals with ongoing symptoms and associated impairments.

The new facility may also support potential legislative changes, including the redefinition of a ‘place of safety’ for Mental Health Orders and providing a more suitable space to assess patients.

A spokesperson for the Trust stated: “This business case presents the Trust’s aspiration to deliver mental health services for the population of its Southern Sector in modern, fit-for-purpose facilities.”

The business case was last reviewed in 2023, and in May 2024, the Trust was invited to refresh the existing case.

The update will address the scale and scope of services required, current levels of activity, future expectations for mental health service demand, and staffing needs for review by the Programme Management Unit.

The current acute admission wards, older people’s mental health wards, and the addiction treatment unit were built in the 1950s and 1960s.